Gardenweb members have saved the day again, at the perfect time--right in the middle of peach season. If you're making peach jam, peach cobbler or peach preserves and need tips, or if you're looking for new ideas, check out some of the discussions going on in the message boards.

Need some advice for jam making?

"I have a nice food processor but fruits and vegetables have a very fine line between chopped and pureed, and I never seem to get it right. It's always a puree by the time I'm done, even if I use pulse. However, for jam, I might do most of the peaches in the processor and then chop a couple by hand for the chunks."

--annie1992

 Here's an easy way to peel peaches:

"Get a pot of water boiling vigorously. Drop in the peach, count to 20-30 and remove from the water. Allow the peach to cool only enough to handle. Take your paring knife and you'll find the fuzzy skin coming right off."

--gardenguru1950

I bet you didn't know the difference between a cobbler and a pan dowdy.

"Technically a biscuit like topping would be a cobbler, but a pie crust like topping would be a 'pan dowdy.' It's basically a pie with no bottom crust and you make the dish 'dowdy' by breaking up the top crust and mixing it in with the fruit."

--lpinkmountain

How about an easy way to store peaches for the winter?

"I freeze peaches with nothing else added. I peel, pit and slice them into a big bowl of water that I've poured the contents of three or four vitamin C capsules in. It works the same as Fruit Fresh but it's a lot cheaper and I have Vitamin C capsules on hand (not the tablets, the capsules). I drain the peaches into a colander and pack into ziplock bags, then freeze flat on a large baking sheet because if they are frozen flat they stack easily in the freezer."

--annie1992

Here's a recipe, courtesy of member Caliloo, for something to make with your peaches that's a little different.

Peach Amaretto Butter

• 6 cups peaches, peeled and chopped (about a dozen peaches)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup Amaretto

Directions

1. Puree peaches in a food processor or blender until smooth.

2. In a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan combine peach puree and sugar. Bring to a hard boil, stirring constantly, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add Amaretto and simmer for at least 5 minutes and until the desired thickness is reached. Ladle into half pint jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes.

So there you go--lots of new ideas and tips from our community. You can always trust the GardenWeb members for great information and inspiration.

--Kate Torsiello

photo: t. kraska/getty images